- On behalf of the Mexican Foreign Ministry, the Consulate General of Mexico in El Paso, Texas, formally requested an investigation from the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety to clarify the incident.
On behalf of the Foreign Ministry, the Consulate General of Mexico in El Paso has been closely following the shooting, on Saturday, August 26, of a Mexican citizen who was wounded in the leg while in Mexican territory by a shot from a member of the Texas National Guard.
The consulate in El Paso has been in close contact with authorities at all levels of government on both sides of the border in order to gain an understanding of the incident.
As part of Mexico's actions of consular protection, the consul general met this afternoon with senior officials at the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas Rangers for an update on the investigation. He was informed that the National Guard member involved in the incident has been separated from his position until the investigation has concluded. In addition, DPS is working with U.S. federal authorities, and Mexican state and federal authorities, to strengthen the investigation.
During the meeting, the Mexican authorities reiterated that the Texas National Guard member's action was inadmissible. They also expressed their concern about the impact on the human rights and safety and integrity of migrants. The two parties agreed on the importance of communication between the authorities on both sides of the border to prevent incidents, and of training the Texas National Guard members deployed on the border between our two countries.
The Government of Mexico will continue to use all means at its disposal to prevent this type of incident from happening again and will continue to follow up on the case, while remaining in contact and collaborating with the authorities in both Mexico and the United States.